Business Commons^™

2024 Crummer Truist Portfolio Recommendations: Crummer Investment Management 25th Anniversary, Crummer Graduate School Of Business, Ryan Astley, Bryan Campbell, Bridget Collis, Axel Einarsson, Caroline Gastonguay, Valeria Hernandez-Grisanti, Jay Kineon, Catherine Mitchell, Charlie Putrino, Nicholas Rojas, David Scupholm, Trevor Siemon, Lily Thornewill, Cole Trinter, Nick Villamil, Brad Vincent, Zane Williams

Crummer Truist Portfolios

We would like to thank you for your service to the Crummer Truist Portfolio. Without your participation, Crummer students would not benefit from the unique insight you bring to managing an active portfolio. We have been fortunate to listen and learn from some outstanding guest speakers who have been generous with their time and expertise: J. Clay Singleton, Emeritus Professor, Crummer Graduate School of Business; Phillip Rich, Chief Investment Officer, United Community Bank; Rasha Mesharafa, Registered Associate, Wells Fargo Advisors; James Bishop, Director, Streamwise Capital; Matej Sušec, Research Analyst, DePrince, Race, and Zollo; Robert Zhang, Senior Research Analyst, DePrince, Race …

Framing Esports’ Jedi Issues: A Case Study In Media Irresponsibility, David Painter, Brittani Sahm

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This investigation analyzes Asian, European, and North American coverage of esports’ justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) issues as a case study of media organizations’ communications on these topics.

Design/methodology/approach: This quantitative content analysis describes coverage of esports’ race, gender, age, and social class issues to draw inferences about media organizations’ abilities to meet their social responsibilities when reporting on organizational JEDI issues.

Findings: There were significant differences across continents; however, most stories only mentioned gender and age, seldom noting esports’ race or social class issues.

Research limitations/implications: Although all stories analyzed were published in English, the findings extend …

The Impact Of Microfinance On Gender Equality In India, Alexis Matton

Honors Program Theses

This paper explores the impacts of microfinance on gender equality in India by examining its effects through the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It begins with an overview of the history of microfinance globally and is followed by an in-depth explanation of the current microfinance landscape in India. This paper then uses a case study approach to collect qualitative data that contributes to this discussion on microfinance and gender equality. By studying the stories of four women and their experiences using the services provided by microfinance institutions, the paper illustrates how microfinance contributes to the advancement of …

2023 Crummer Truist Portfolio Recommendations: Crummer Investment Management 24th Anniversary, Davis Moshier, Matej Susec, Sarah Butterfield, Judith Laskowski, Nicholas Disa, Miguel Castro Morales, Jaxon Mills, Zak Abed

Crummer Truist Portfolios

We would like to thank you for your service to the Crummer Truist Portfolio. Without your participation, Crummer students would not benefit from the unique insight you bring to managing an active portfolio. We have been fortunate to listen and learn from some outstanding guest speakers who have been generous with their time and expertise: Phillip Rich, Chief Investment Officer, Seaside Bank; Sarah Passero, Senior Consultant, EY; Shawn Fletcher, Financial Analyst, The Walt Disney Company; Ryan Abronski, Venture Capital Associate, Morgan Creek Digital; Robert Zhang, Senior Research Analyst, DePrince, Race and Zollo; Dr. William Seyfried, Professor, Crummer Graduate School of …

The Effects Of Brand Relationships On Justice Perceptions In Service Recovery, Cid Gonçalves Filho, Kip Kiefer, Marc Fetscherin, Alexander Blandina, Marcelo Nacif Rocha, Plínio Rafael Reis Monteiro

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This paper explores how brand relationship quality (BRQ) influences consumers’ perceived sense of justice in the context of service recovery situations.

Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a survey of 368 consumers who experienced an automotive service recovery.

Findings: Stronger BRQ led to higher levels of perceived justice (distributive, procedural, and interactional), which in turn led to higher customer satisfaction of complaint handling. Ultimately, higher customer satisfaction led to lower complaining, lower retaliation, and higher purchase intention. Our alternative model tested the effects of BRQ sub-dimensions on justice perception. Interestingly, trust produced a “love-is-blind” effect, while intimacy revealed a “love-becomes-hate” effect.

Originality: …

Covid-19 And Consumer Eating Patterns: Analysis Of The Impact On The Meal Kit Industry In The United States, Dorian Bizeau

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze consumer eating patterns through the emergence of COVID-19, and explain the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Meal Kit industry. Through the utilization of qualitative and quantitative analysis, the paper will apply source material to the research question. The research question for this study is: “How did COVID-19's emergence impact the Meal Kit industry?” An overarching theme is social behaviors adaptation. Adaptations occurred as a result of COVID-19's emergence. The qualitative data suggests the behaviors correlated with the strengths and weaknesses of the Meal Kit industry. A key finding revealed in …

Fashioning The Flapper: Clothing As A Catalyst For Social Change In 1920s America, Julia Wolffe

Honors Program Theses

Fashion has been a catalyst for social change throughout human history. Fashion in 1920s America in particular reflects society's rapidly evolving attitudes towards gender and race. Beginning with how corsetry heavily restricted women for nearly four hundred years up until the twentieth century, this thesis explores how clothing has acted as a tool for societal progression following World War I and Women's Suffrage and during the Jazz Age and The Harlem Renaissance. Specifically, this thesis examines how the influence of jazz music and dance that originated from Black American communities led to the creation of the flapper evening dress. The …

2022 Crummer Suntrust Portfolio Recommendations: Crummer Investment Management 23rd Anniversary, Jason Philips, Michael Capra, Denis Golubev, Connor Jensen, Kovi Katz

Crummer Truist Portfolios

SunTrust (now Truist) endowed this portfolio to provide scholarships for future Crummer students and to give current students a practical, hands-on learning opportunity. This year, we are pleased to be able to disburse $55,000 to be used for scholarships. We are extremely grateful for SunTrust’s generosity and investment in higher education. We have all learned a great deal from this experience and the responsibility of managing real money. Our first challenge is to establish a portfolio position that takes advantage of economic opportunities while avoiding unnecessary risk and conforming to the Crummer SunTrust Investment Policy Statement (IPS). We are also …

Brand Love And Brand Addiction And Their Effects On Consumers’ Negative Behaviors, Muhammad Junaid, Marc Fetscherin, Khalid Hussain, Fujun Hou

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between brand love and brand addiction and their effects on consumers' negative behaviors with respect to excessive spending, trash-talking, and the feeling of anxiety.

Methodology: A sample of 352 young fashion brand consumers responded to a structured questionnaire. The resulting data were analyzed with structural equation modeling in MPlus.

Findings: While brand love and brand addiction are related concepts, their effects on negative consumer behaviors differ. In the presence of brand addiction as a mediator of brand love, brand addiction has a significant effect on the three negative behaviors, and we observe a suppression …

Racial Composition In Advertisements And Its Effects On White Consumers' Perceptions And Purchase Intention, Chung-Ting Wang

Honors Program Theses

Previous marketing research has generally not examined how ethnic majority consumers perceive advertisements featuring mixed racial compositions of model groups. This paper presents an investigation into how White consumers’ perceptions and purchase intentions change depending on the racial composition of the people represented in an advertisement. The study uses a single 12-condition experiment, in which we examine the type of advertisement (product vs. social advocacy advertising), racial composition (all-White vs. diverse mix vs. all-Black), and racial priming effects (racially-primed vs. racially-neutral message). Additionally, consumers’ levels of self-referencing to the ad and strength of ethnic identification are explored as possible mediation …

Brand Hate Internationally: A Validation Study From Slovenia, Marc Fetscherin, Maja Konecnik Ruzzier, Sabrina Ivanov, Mitja Ruzzier

Faculty Publications

This paper follows the call by Yadav and Chakrabarti (2022) for more research on brand hate across different countries. Empirical studies predominately used US (19 papers), UK, France (6 papers each), Italy, India and Pakistan (4 papers each) samples. This paper explores brand hate in Slovenia, a new and different cultural setting. Based on 234 consumers, our results validate the feeling of brand hate in line with previous studies, but the way it manifests is different. Comparing our results to previous studies, we find Long Term Orientation drives which antecedents is the most important one whereas Individualism drives brand hate …

Moving Beyond Traditional Sponsorships: Understanding The Structure And Dynamics Of Minority Equity Sponsorship Agreements, Furkan Amil Gur, Adrien Bouchet, Brian Walkup, Jonathan A. Jesen

Faculty Publications

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to understand the structure and dynamics of minority equity sponsorship agreements and the motivations for organizations to go beyond traditional sponsorships by acquiring minority equity in the sponsored organization.

Design/methodology approach - This paper adopts a qualitative methodology and presents interview data from key actors involved in minority equity sponsorship agreements. Findings - The findings of the paper include major characteristics of minority equity sponsorship agreements including the motivations, dynamics, and resources exchanged by sponsoring firms and clubs in these relationships, based on the experiences of key actors from firms, clubs, and …

A Dichotomy Of Sport Sponsorships: Does The Nature Of Competition Among Sponsors Matter?, Thomas Doellman, Brian Walkup, Adrien Bouchet, Brian Chabowski

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we argue that the firm value implications of sport sponsorships for sponsors may depend on the competitive environment during the bidding process for different types of sponsorships. More specifically, we contend that the bidding environment for professional football (soccer) kit sponsorships represents a form of common value auction, while the bidding environment for corporate logo sponsorships on teams’ shirts does not. As common value auctions are prone to winner’s curse, the firm value implications should be different for kit sponsorship announcements than for shirt sponsorship announcements. Our results suggest that shareholders indeed perceive the value derived from …

Inclusive Growth In Africa: Are Chinese Investment And Local Industry Participation Compatible?, Emmanuel T. Kodzi

Faculty Publications

Purpose - This study set out to explore whether increasing Chinese FDI is associated with rising contributions of local industry in African countries connected to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The existence of cooperative industry linkages between Chinese investments and local businesses is a necessary condition for achieving the mutual benefits asserted by the BRI.

Design/methodology/approach - Under growing FDI, we framed increasing local industry contribution as indicative of existing industry linkages. Using principal component analysis and multiple regression on collated country-level data, we examined relationships between key industry output variables and several independent variables representing Chinese investment and …

Using The Green Climate Fund To Build Stronger Infrastructures Among Sids: A Comparative Analysis Of Tonga And Haiti, Mauricio Gomez Novoa

Global Sustainable Development Projects

The last two decades have drawn significant attention to the lack of infrastructure and adaptation plans accessible for the protection against climate-related hazards, especially those implemented in developing communities where low-income individuals are disproportionately affected. Small Island Developing States, also referred to as SIDS, are known for their limited resources, as well as their high susceptibility to environmental and economic shocks. Officially launched in 2010 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Green Climate Fund is a US $100 billion dollar fund approved by 196 sovereign governments to help lower-income countries shift to low emission, climate-resilient …

The Future Of Living: Exploring Sustainable Residential Developments Through A Case Study Analysis Of The Sustainable City Dubai, Carys Davidson-Huxley

Honors Program Theses

With population growth continuing on an upwards trend and urban living projected to increase in the coming years, a redesign of typical property development is required to ensure that housing demand not only has a lesser impact on the environment, but also meets the needs of communities. Through a combination of literature review, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, this paper presents a case study of The Sustainable City Dubai (TSC), a key sustainable development within the United Arab Emirates (UAE), taking into account its social, economic and environmental strategies and consequent impacts. Investigation has been conducted into the importance of …

Workings Of Theocracy: The Historical Function And Modern Applicability Of Charitable Endowments, Nuh Elalaoui

Honors Program Theses

Historically, various systems and institutions across diverse civilizations have been established to meet the many needs that interweave the fabric of society. One, and perhaps the most significant of these institutions is the waqf/hubus system. Characterized by the designation of a property or revenue stream as mortmain and the investment of the usufruct for the benefit of (often predetermined) beneficiaries, this form of charitable endowment is hailed as a cornerstone of Islamic civilization. The objectives of this paper are threefold. Primarily, it examines the historical role of awqāf, with focus on their social and economic significance in two distinct Islamic …

Crummer Suntrust Portfolio Recommendations: Crummer Investment Management [2021], Ryan Abronski, Louis Charpentier, Hannah Johnson, David Baldock, Austin Hieb, Luiggi Reno, Shawn Hudson, Eric Necamp, Brandon Carlin, Jackson Pliska, Jacob Carroll

Crummer Truist Portfolios

SunTrust endowed this portfolio to provide scholarships for future Crummer students and to give current students a practical, hands-on learning opportunity. This year, we are pleased to be able to award $50,000 in scholarships. We are extremely grateful for SunTrust’s generosity and investment in higher education. We have all learned a great deal from this experience and the responsibility of managing real money.

Our first challenge is to establish a portfolio position that takes advantage of economic opportunities while avoiding unnecessary risk and conforming to the Crummer SunTrust Investment Policy Statement (IPS). We are also tasked by the IPS to …

Anti-Consumption In The Context Of Brand Relationships, Marc Fetscherin, Raghabendra Kc

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a conceptual model that outlines the various brand relationships consumers have with a special focus on negative brand relationships that relates to anti-brand behaviors.

Based on the empathy map, the model consists of four main parts: how consumers think (share of mind) and feel (share of heart) about brands, which in turn effects what consumers say (share of voice) and do (share of wallet) with them.

The model combines more than 40 branding concepts into one comprehensive, coherent, unified and easy-to-understand model where concepts are categorized by their degree of intensity.

How Different Esg Factors Across Cultures Affect Financial Performance, Matej Susec, Marc Sardy

Faculty Publications

This paper examines the financial performance of publicly traded companies based on their ESG factors’ specific commitment across different cultures. Using ESG ratings from HIP Investor Inc. on companies the agency evaluates and cultural dimensions as defined by Geert Hofstede, the average stock return of companies was compared to countries’ main stock indexes. The results show that the majority of the analyzed combinations of ESG factors and cultural dimensions outperformed the main stock indexes between the years 2016 and 2020. Moreover, it seems that for ESG committed companies, culture plays a role in ESG practices as well as financial performance.

Models For Brand Relationships, Marc Fetscherin, Cleopatra Veloutsou, Francisco Guzman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Values Congruence And Organizational Commitment Among The Multiple Generations In The Workforce: Toward A Better Understanding Of Generational Differences, Charles Ennis Jr.

Dissertations from the Executive Doctorate in Business Administration Program

The Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial generations comprise the majority of the current United States workforce. Because of the predominance of these three cohorts, there is a substantial body of research that addresses their generational differences. Recent studies advocate a need to reconsider generational [age-based] cohort a priori assumptions and build a stronger theoretical foundation to support the generational differences phenomenon. This study examines generational differences through the lens of a conceptual framework that consists of Generation, Person-Organization fit, and Organizational Commitment theoretical constructs. A cross-sectional, stratified sample of United States employees (N = 360) was collected in order …

Turning The Tides - An Examination Of The Red Tide Epidemic In Florida, Dahlia Lilleslåtten

Honors Program Theses

Southwest Florida’s red tides are characterized by patches of maroon-colored water, respiratory irritants, and elevated levels of marine mortalities. While a natural phenomenon, red tide has a devastating impact on aquatic ecosystems that become overwhelmed with dense aggregations of unicellular organisms and the subsequent brevetoxins that are released into the air. ​This paper reviews recent research on the Gulf Coast’s red tide epidemic in an attempt to fully understand the cause of the heightened intensity, frequency, and duration of algal blooms. It goes on to highlight the Sanibel and Captiva Islands’ rich history in conservation, and how this foundation of …

Crummer Suntrust Portfolio Recommendations: Crummer Investment Management [2020], Gerardo Abril, James Bishop, Eddie Cutillas, Shawn Fletcher, Bobby Suchor

Crummer Truist Portfolios

The Crummer Investment Management team has the responsibility of managing the Crummer SunTrust Portfolio. Guided by the investment policy statement, our team's focus was on making appropriate investment decisions based on the portfolio's overarching objectives. This year, we were mindful of protecting the value of the portfolio during periods of economic decline. Achieving this objective will allow us to generate cash to support on-going donations to Crummer's scholarship program. In a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, we have created an economic outlook for the rest of 2020 through Q1 2021. We gathered information, studied economic indicators, and carefully watched the …

Effects Of Facial Features And Styling Elements On Perceptions Of Competence, Warmth, And Hireability Of Male Professionals, Marc Fetscherin, Stacey Tantleff-Dunn, Arne Klumb

Faculty Publications

Few studies investigated the effects of facial characteristics on stereotyping in the business context. Using a 2 (beard/no beard) x 2 (acne/no acne) x 2 (tie/no tie) x 2 (eyeglasses/no eyeglasses) between subjects’ design, two representative samples of 364 and 711 participants rated different stimuli of male subjects on dimensions of competence, warmth and hireability. Based on 4,215 observations, results show acne has a negative and eyeglasses a positive effect on both competence and warmth. Wearing a necktie has a positive effect on competence and a negative effect on warmth. Finally, beardedness has a negative effect on warmth. We also …

From Design To Delivery: Teaching Supply Chain Management To Ib Majors, Emmanuel T. Kodzi

Faculty Publications

Curricular development is critical for preparing students in a coordinated fashion for life after graduation – especially when their roles will involve cross-border business decisions. The design of specific courses in any curriculum must be purposeful in terms of what is taught, how it is taught, and how all the course components fit together. For a supply chain management course targeted at international business (IB) students, one key purpose is to understand how competitiveness is developed across the extended enterprise, rather than within the confines of individual companies. This “winning together” view helps foster capabilities for connectedness and cooperation in …

Sales Order Backlog And Corporate Social Responsibility, Li Sun, Brian Walkup, Kean Wu

Faculty Publications

We examine the impact of sales order backlog, an important leading indicator of firm performance, on corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance (measured as responsible and irresponsible CSR performance). We rely on the stakeholder view and the resource availability view of CSR to develop our hypotheses. Under the stakeholder view, we posit a positive relation between sales order backlog and CSR performance. Under the resource availability view, we posit this relationship to be negative. Our empirical evidence shows a significant positive relation between order backlog and irresponsible CSR performance, suggesting that firms with higher order backlog demonstrate lower overall CSR performance. …

The Five Types Of Brand Hate: How They Affect Consumer Behavior, Marc Fetscherin

Faculty Publications

Drawing from Sternberg’s (2003) triangular theory of hate, this paper conceptualizes and tests the theory in the branding context. Based on two studies with 712 consumers (study 1= 349; study 2= 363) who mentioned 266 brands they hate, the authors first validate Sternberg’s (2003) theory of interpersonal hate relationships in connection with brand relationships. The empirical analyses confirm that brand hate is a multi-dimensional construct consisting of three key emotions: disgust, contempt, and anger. Our research shows there are five types of brand hate, depending on the combination of these emotions, each leading to different behavioral outcomes, including brand switching, …

The Case Of The Unidentified Energy Companies, Matthew Crook, Mark Griffiths, Brian Walkup

Faculty Publications

This case provides detailed financial information for 14 firms in the energy sector across different fields. The student is put in the position of a potential job candidate tasked with identifying the field in which a firm’s major operations lie. The student’s objective is to use existing knowledge of the energy sector or financial statements to differentiate between the firms by examining the financial statements and common financial ratios for each of the firms.

Latest Research On Brand Relationships: An Introduction To The Special Issue, Marc Fetscherin, Francisco Guzman, Cleopatra Veloutsou, Ricardo Roseira Cayolla

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.